I am looking at purchasing a used Hobie. I have sailied Hobie 16's for about 20 years. The Miracle 20 looks like a great boat but appears to be geared toward racing rather than pleasure sailing. I only race once a year so I am looking for a boat that will be sturdy but high performance. I live at a beach so I normally don't go sailing until the wind is above 15mph, which is very often where I live. When I do go sailing it I push the boat to the limit 90% of the time (no casual sailing here). If the Miracle 20 is not the boat for me I would like to purchase a Hobie18 SE or SX. Any input on the pros and cons of wings or no wings would be greatly appreciated. I have not sailed the 18 and am having a hard time deciding if the wings are the way to go. Your input is greatly appreciated.

For beach sailing the H18sx would be the better boat for you than the H20. The H18 is meant to be sailed hard and loves the beach where the H20 loves to be sailed hard as well you need to be more concerned when beaching. The pro's of the wings are they are externally comfortable to sit on as well as back support if your sitting on the hull. They give you extra storage and a perfect place for the ladies to catch some rays. If you are sailing in surf they may be in the way but only if the surf is large enough to reach the wings, if you want to go out on a big surf day simply take the wings off. We have some used H18's as well as 20's locally let me know if you have any questions.

I went from a H-16 to the H-18, The H-20 was too expensive at the time. I like the H-18, its bullet proof but that also means heavy. A good boat in 10 knots or better. I raced mine in a regatta that had 40 knot gusts (2002 Round the Bay). I can race it or take the family out. I have gone solo on it as well in the right conditions.

Look at the F-18 specifications and then at the H-18. A little different but not totally outdated considering it was introduced about 20 years ago. If you get into additional sails you can add a spinnaker without to much problem.

I sold my H18 two years ago to buy a new H20. Most of my sailing is one design fleet racing and the H20 fleet is quite strong (and growing fast!) in my area. The H20 accelerates much faster than the H18 - it feels like a cork popping out of a bottle when you sheet it hard. The H20 also tacks much faster and goes downwind way faster. That being said, the H20 is a handfull for my wife/crew and I in more than 15 kts of wind and downright scary above 20 kts. I feel this is primarily a function of our low crew weight (only 295 lbs total). Adding a roller furling jib would help, but generally isn't done on racing boats. I think the biggest difference between the two boats is in the crew's job. As a rule of thumb, I would say H18 crews have twice as many things to look after as a H16 crew, and H20 crews have 2x as much work than on a H18 IF YOU ARE RACING. New crews will find the H18 easier to learn than the H20, so if you don't have a regular crew or your crew is not interested in a lot more work the H18 is probably the way to go. If you will be sailing at very heavy crew weights (400 lbs and up?) the H20 may be the better way to get the high performance sailing experience it sounds like you are looking for.